Thirty-six-year-old Simon Anderson was attending a black tie ball with friends when he began to choke on a piece of steak.

Simon's lips were beginning to turn blue before his friend, Mansfield cop Karl Overton, performed the Heimlich manoeuvre to clear his throat.

The drama unfolded during a fundraiser for the Wish Upon a Star foundation at Kelham Hall on 7th November.

"We sat down for the meal and everything was fine and then the main course of rib-eye steak came out," Simon, of Opal Close, told Chad. "I went for a bite and I got this piece of steak lodged in my throat.

'Panic'

"I was starting to panic a bit and tried to drink some water, but it just came back up. I was stood up and everyone was looking, trying to work out what was happening."

After realising he was choking one of Simon's friends, who works as a nurse, came to his aid — but she was unable to dislodge the rogue morsel.

"I started to change colour," Simon, who works in Chesterfield as a sales and marketing account manager, told Chad. "It was like someone had their hands around my throat and I couldn't breathe."

Seeing Simon in trouble, off-duty officer Karl began performing the Heimlich manoeuvre in a bid to save his life.

'Commotion'

Karl told Chad: "I heard a commotion and knives and forks going everywhere.

"When I looked over my shoulder I saw a crowd of people around Simon and a woman trying to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre.

"Being a police officer I've been trained in first aid and once I got through the people I could see it wasn't working and took over.

"Simon was obviously in a serious situation, his lips were starting to turn blue and I could see his eyes starting to roll back, it took me three attempts and I had to be quite forceful, but on the third go it managed to clear the blockage.

"We were both a bit shaken up, people were saying how calm I'd been and I might have been calm on the outside, but I was shaking inside."

Safe

And Simon now admits he will now be playing it safe with his meals in future.

"We went for a Sunday dinner at the weekend and I ended up going for the vegetarian option, the whole thing has just made me very, very wary," he said.

"I'm a bit of a joker anyway and I think at first everyone thought it was just messing around. But when I was changing colour they all realised something was wrong — it spoilt a good night really, it wasn't a good experience that's for sure.

"If it wasn't for Karl I don't know what would have happened, it's all down to his quick thinking.

"It just makes you realise that at the end of the day there are good people out there — there are Good Samaritans and I owe everything to Karl."

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